Sydney plane crash kills 6 including CEO, 11-year-old girl

The families of an engaged British couple died in a plane crash as they celebrated the new year in Australia.

Five people and a pilot were aboard the seaplane when it fell into the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney on Sunday, and police in New South Wales confirmed that no one survived.

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Experienced pilot Gareth Morgan, 44, flew the Cessna over the scenic area with customers Emma Bowden, 48, and her fiancé Richard Cousins, the 58-year-old CEO of the major catering company Compass Group.

Bowden and Cousins, visiting from the United Kingdom, had also brought along their children Edward and William Cousins, 23 and 25, and Heather Bowden-Page, 11.

Emma Bowden, 48, and daughter Heather Bowden-Page, 11, were killed in a seaplane crash in the Hawkesbury River near Sydney, Australia. (Facebook)

The elder Cousins, chief of Compass for the past 11 years, was set to retire in March before the fatal crash.

"Richard was known and respected for his great humanity and a no-nonsense style that transformed Compass into one of Britain's leading companies," the company's chairman Paul Walsh said in a statement.

A helicopter hovers near the area where the plane crashed on New Year's Eve. (REUTERS TV/REUTERS)

It was not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash, and police said that an investigation was underway from Australia's transport authority.